Aincrad: The Return
by Gryffindork1
Summary: On the Night the Second Blood War ends. Harry die's and death makes him an offer he can't refuse. Another chance at life with the one he loves. The price... the three hallows, and a task so overwhelming difficult i will test them to the limit. Story takes place twenty four years after their deaths. In the death game of Sword Art Online.
1. The Offer

Aincrad: The Return

An offer you can't refuse!

Harry Potter stood before the corpse of his fathers last remaining friend. Beside him lay the corpse of his young wife. He sobbed softly, his heart felt so heavy and hopeless. He thought of young Teddy. He knew what it was like to not have parents. However the little boy had his grandparents, that he was thankful for.

Harry looked up from the pair spotting the Weasleys mourning their brother/son. He locked eyes with Hermione and motioned for her to come with him. She nodded softly before patting Ron on the back whispering to him. The red head merely nodded, she gave him a half hug before moving to join Harry.

When she joined him he took her hand and lead her outside. They walked in silence for a while before the reached the courtyard. He brought them to a stop before looking up at the night sky.

Hermione who'd been silently following him spoke up. "What is it Harry?"

"It's really over isn't it?" he asked turning to face her.

Hermione shrugged. "I hope so Harry, I really do."

Harry nodded slowly building up some courage. Hermione noticed the conflicted expression on his face. "I love you Hermione." He said quietly.

Hermione smiled happily as she embraced the younger boy. "I love you too." she whispered as they separated. Her smile faded as she noticed his frustrated expression.

Harry looked down at his shoes for a moment. "I'm in love with you Hermione." he said softly before looking up to see her reaction. His heart dropped when he heard her sob. He averted his gaze before he could see her face.

"Why now Harry? Why?" she asked her voice cracking.

"You know why Hermione." he answered quietly. "You where already a target just because you're a muggleborn and my best friend." Harry sighed. "If we became a couple I shutter to think what he would have done. That monster might not feel love, but he knows how to use it as a weapon. If he'd he'd..." he sobbed for a moment lost in so many nightmares he'd had the last year. "If you died I don't know what I would have done."

She understood what he was saying, but she could help but hate him for it. She'd loved him for years, but was simply to afraid to be rejected by him. When he started dating Ginny the year before she buried it hoping to snuff it out. It worked for the most part, it hurt like hell but there it is. It flared again after Ron abandoned them a few months ago. She hadn't the heart to bury it again. His sobbed broke her from her inaction. She took him in her arms as he finished speaking. "Damn you... Damn you for making me wait so long." she whispered into his ear. Harry took her hand squeezing it softly before breaking apart.

Harry laughed softly while he cleaned his face. "I'm afraid I'm doomed to be quite the cry baby for the foreseeable future."

Hermione nodded "Me too." she added before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. Harry deepened the kiss after a moment. Hermione was momentarily shocked at how amazingly good of a kisser he was. When they broke from the kiss Hermione smiled teasingly. "Should I thank Ginny for teaching you to kiss?

Harry laughed smiling brightly. "Well as long as your pleased."

Hermione smiled for a moment before it faded some. "Did you love her?"

Harry nodded. "In a way I do, not romantically. It wasn't what you would consider a healthy relationship. She wanted to date The Harry Potter, and I was the lustful teenage boy." He told her honestly. He was afraid she would be angry, but the truth was better than a lie.

She smiled at him placing a kiss on his forehead. Harry felt relief wash over him as she did so. They sat there holding hands in a comfortable silence that followed. They kissed once, twice, and a third time before Harry started to make his way back to the castle bringing Hermione with him.

"It will be dawn soon lets head up to the tower and get some sleep okay?" he said placing his arm around her shoulder.

"Sounds good." she replied punctuation it with a yawn.

Harry smile and lead her back toward the entrance hall. Both of them failed to notice the cloaked figure in the shadows. The figure drew their wand and whispered the incantation of a piercing spell. Harry picked up on the incantation in the deathly silence of early morning. He looked toward the sound only to see an azure spell speeding toward Hermione.

His battle trained mind quickly began to take in the situation. It was to late to cast the counter curse, or a proper shield. The spell was cast waist level so ducking was out of the question and going prone would just as likely get you hit on the way down. The wall on his right made dodging that way impossible. The only real option was to push Hermione out of the way, and let the spell pass between them. With a plan of attack chosen he moved to action. He surprised Hermione by pushing her hard toward the left. She panicked and took hold of him pulling him in front of the spell. He lost his footing as the spell pierced his side tearing thru muscle and his internal organs. Before exploding out the other side in a crimson mist. He fell to his knee's in shock before collapsing to the ground.

Hermione watched in horror as he was struck. Understanding to late why he had pushed her. She took action and not a moment to late. Two spells struck her shield nearly shattering it. She cast a red flare out over the school grounds hoping for help.

"Run Hermione!" Harry gasped out.

Hermione ignored his plea as she turned her wand on their attacker. The battle raged for nearly a minute, before help arrived in the form of an hand full of staff members and aurors. She had been on the defensive the entire time. Never given the option of attack whom ever it was they where very good. When the Auror's arrived she collapsed on the floor next to Harry. She turned to him and began to sob uncontrollably. She scooted over placing his head on her lap. She sobbed and stroked his raven hair as the Auror's forced the shadowy figure to retreat.

Minerva looked down at the sobbing girl with tears in her eyes. She bent down taking both the girls hands in hers. "He is gone dear, you need to let go. You need to rest and he needs to be taken care of."

Hermione didn't respond she continued stroking his hair lovingly.

"I'm so sorry." Minerva said as she drew her wand "Stupify!"

* * *

Harry awoke in the a misty nothingness once again nude. He paid it no mind as he waited for something to happen. A moment of silence passed and then another, and another. Before a creature akin to a dementor appeared before him.

"Well if it isn't the Master of death." Death stated dryly in a deep gravely voice.

Harry gave the odd creature a quick glance. Its cloak shimmered like his, and the skeleton underneath was the whitest thing he'd seen in since last spring. Instead of a scythe he held an elaborate bone clipboard with a massive stack of paper or so it seemed.

"I guess you could call me that, but it isn't what I wanted." he replied.

Death sighed. "I'm willing to make you an offer young sir. If you offer me the hallows freely I will give you a second chance at life, and happiness."

Harry looked at death sceptically. "What is your offer?"

Harry was quite sure that death was giving him a predatory smile as he continued. " If you willingly handover the hallows. I'll allow you and your lover the chance to live again. Consider it a test of your strength and your determination. If you pass you will return to the living at the age you are now. With all the knowledge and skill your education has provided so far. If you do survive I strongly suggest you stay where you are when you wake. There will be nothing left for you in England.

Harry's heart bottomed out when he mentioned Hermione. "How does she die?" He asked.

Death's gravelly voiced filled the misty void as he answered. "The man who murdered you. Will try again shortly, and this time he will succeed."

"How can I say no. I'll take your offer, and I'll willingly hand over the Hallows." As he spoke of the Hallows they appeared to him.

Harry took the resurrection stone and handed it to death. Death took it and placed it at the center of the clip on his clipboard. It fit perfectly and made the ornate bone work look even more elegant. Next was the elder wand. Death opened his cloak where Harry noticed a missing rib. Death placed the wand in his ribcage. As it slipped into position it transformed into bone forming a rib. Harry held the invisibility cloak in his hand for a moment. He recalled a day where he and Hermione used it to avoid Ron in fourth year. Death waited patiantly before the boy reluctantly handed the cloak over to him. Death took the offered cloak and merged it with his.

Death looked at the boy with honest respect. "Rest for now young hero, for you shall be tested, tried, and if you succeed rewarded with true life. If you fail rest well knowing that you tried your hardest and did your best."

Harry felt oddly contented as he slid into an unending darkness.

* * *

November 6th 2022 1305pm Aincrad 1st floor

In a flash of blue light Harry Potter appeared in a world. Real or virtual for the first time in twenty four years. He looked around for a moment in wonder. He was in the middle of a massive town square. With more people than he cared to count. He felt more than saw the brown haired rocket that slammed into him. He nearly lost his balance, but he embraced Hermione all the same. He pulled away and looked at her. She was wearing what looked like red dyed leather armor with a pole arm holstered on her back. He couldn't help but smile. She looked just as he remembered her.

"It's so good to see you again." He stated with a glowing smile.

"Shut up and kiss me!" She growled pulling him into a kiss. It didn't quite feel right but he kissed her back full force. "If you die on me again, I'll haunt you for the rest of your miserable existence."

Harry smiled just pleased to see her again. Threw up his arms in surrender before turning around and taking in the rest of the view. Hermione satisfied did much the same.

"Did death give you a little tutorial on this er trail of his." Hermione asked marveling at the virtual world around her.

"He gave me the basics on the ui or the user interface its based of hand movements. He also gave some tips on how to use sword skills other than that I've not a clue."

Hermione nodded. "Well join my party and lets get started. I don't know what is going on, but I doubt its good. After all many of deaths incarnations are known for trickery."

Harry simply nodded accepting the invitation. He checked his gear and saw that he had a one handed mace, a simple heater shield, and a few pieces of half mail armor. "Make sure you have your skills selected okay." he suggested as he checked his skill slots. One handed weapon, shield defense, and two free slots. He added search and listen to his active skills before closing the screen turning to Hermione. "Ready?"

Hermione nodded and pointed towards one of the avenues that lead out of the city.

* * *

3 hours later 1st Floor

Harry hunkered down as the silver wolf slammed against his shield. Once the wolf's attack stopped He activated shield slam sending the level 3 wolf of kilter giving Hermione more than enough time to slam the beast with the blunt end of her pole arm. The following shattering of pixels spelled victory and for Hermione a level up.

"Wow." Harry said as he sat down on the grass field. "Who could guess how tiring that is." he stated to himself. Hermione sat down beside him with a laugh. Harry put his arm around her giving her a quick hug before turning toward a small out cropping of building on the horizon. "I think that is a town. I say we keep at it till dusk. Then we grab a bite to eat, and hit the sack."

Hermione made a sound of agreement. "Yeah what ever death has planed we'll need to be strong or we might as well give up now."

Harry nodded in agreement before pointed about thirty meters away from them. Hermione saw the large wolf. She used the inspect ability and frown. "It is a level 2 rare wolf called Sabre" she whispered.

"You know the deal let me get his attention then you lay waste to em." Harry stated as he stood preparing his mace and shield. She gave him a quick nod and he was off.

Harry was 10 meters from the creature when it turned toward him. It moved so fast Harry hardly had time to bring his shield up. The powerful attack thru him off balance, but he quickly recovered in time to strike the creature with his mace. Hermione closed quickly she used attack after attack. Harry for his part kept the creature occupied. The battle raged back and fort for over a 3 minutes. Harry's shield took most of the damage but over the battle his hp was slowly depleting. When the creatures hp hit twenty five percent it went into a frenzy. After that Harry was on pure defense the creatures attacks came fast and at a near constant. In the end he took a risk and shield slammed the beast. It not only stunned the beast, but knocked it over. Hermione landed blow after blow, and Harry punished the beast with his mace. Finally the rare beast shattered into a thousand little pixels.

"Woo, that is some tense shit." Harry swore as he leveled up, and his hp bar filled from fifteen percent to full. He smiled when he saw the loot window open up. A single piece of plate armor with decent stats compared to what he had equipped.

Hermione pointed to a freshly re spawned group of creatures. Harry nodded making sure he had the new plate armor on. "Lets do it?"

* * *

November 6th 2022 Aincrad 1740pm

Harry and Hermione had been resting on a hill. When the comfortable silence was shattered by the tolling of a bell. Then in an flash of blue light they where teleported back to the start of the world. Harry felt very uneasy as he took Hermione's hand. The other players look just as shock if not a little excited.

"I imagine the hammer is about to drop on us." he whispered. Hermione who looked just as uneasy as he did nodded. Suddenly the ceiling just a hundred meters or so above their head turned red with warning and system announcements messages. Slowly a massive robed apparition formed on the outskirts of the square.

"_Welcome to my world, dear players."_

Harry stepped closer to Hermione before whispering. "Could that be death?"

"_My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment I'm the only human being alive with control over this world."_

"I guess not." she whispered back. Harry nodded

"_You have likely noticed by now that the log-out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug-it is a feature of Sword art online. From this point onward, you will be unable to freely log-out of the game until the summit of this castle has been conquered. Furthermore, the nervegear cannot be removed or shut down via external means. If forceful means of exit are attempted..."_

"Merlin." Harry cursed softly. Hermione closed her eyes and held Harry's hand tighter.

"_...the high powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes."_

Harry's stomach rolled violently. 'Did my deal with death cause this?' his legs gave out and he took Hermione down with him. "I am responsible for this?"

Hermione looked at him shocked that he could think such a thing. However the more she thought about it. It was what he did. If someone died during the second blood war he blamed himself. "No Harry I think this would have happened either way."

Harry had to agree with her. If this Akihiko Kayaba was an actual person it was on his head. If it was death... he would just have to accept it.

"_To be more specific, the brain-frying sequence will commence upon any of the following circumstances: ten minutes of no external power:two hours of network disconnection: removal, dismantling, or destruction of the NerveGear. The authorities and media in the outside world have already announced the details of the conditions to the general public. At present the friends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and attempted to forcefully remove their NerveGear the result being that sadly, two hundred and thirteen players have already been permanently retired from both Aincrad and the real world."_

"Monster!" Hermione muttered under her breath. Harry stood ignoring his shaking limbs. He agreed with her it was a horrible situation. He looked around him and the shocked and scared faces around him. He could almost feel his hero complex demanding that he save as many as he could. How much could they do to help.

"_There is no need to worry about you physical bodies back in the real world. The current state of the game and today's fatalities have been covered far and wide on television, radio, and the internet. The danger that someone will forcefully remove your NerveGear is already much diminished. The two-hour offline leeway should provide enough time for you physical bodies to be transported to hospitals and other long-term care facilities with proper security, eliminating concerns over your physical well-being. You may rest assured... and focus on conquering the game."_

"That is a relief. I doubt anyone would last long without proper care." Hermione stated in a whisper that carried louder in the shocked silence than she hoped. A few people gave her an odd look before turning back to the apparition.

"_However, please proceed with caution. As of the moment Sword Art Online is no longer a game to you. It is another reality. The standard means of player resurrection will no longer function as they did previously. When your hit points dwindle to zero, your avatar will be permanently deleted and the NerveGear will destroy your brain. There is only one condition through which you can be freed from this game. Simply reach the hundredth floor at the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the final boss who awaits you there. In that instant, all surviving player will be able to safely log out once again."_

"Well I guess that is our goal." Harry remarked mostly to himself. Hermione merely squeezed his hand in support.

"This isn't a crusade you have to take on yourself Harry." she looked around the square. "I have no doubt we will have more help than ever."

Harry nodded smiling somewhat. "True enough, a nice change of pace to be sure."

They both zoned out of the speech. They had their goal, and their minds where reeling with what the future held. The apparition mention a gift and inventory so Harry checked his. Inside instead of a mirror that everyone else received. He received a note from Death _'good luck'_

They watch fascinated as the mirrors transformed the majority hunky fantasy hero's into ordinary everyday people. From the elderly all the way to six or seven year old's. Hermione nearly sobbed when she noticed the looks of total horror on their little faces. Harry just got angry, so very, very angry. He had lost his childhood. Now this Kayaba bastard where ruining these babies lives. Harry didn't need to know why? To have control and be powerful. Why else would someone do such a thing.

"_You are likely asking yourselves, why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of SAO and the NerveGear unit, do such a thing?Is it an act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money? What I seek is neither of these things. I have no goals or justifications at the moment. In fact, this very situation was my ultimate goal. I created the Nerve Gear and SAO precisely in order to build this world and observe it. I have now achieved that aim. This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online. I Wish you the best of luck, dear players." _

"We need to go back to the village. We can tag team the more powerful monster ourselves if we are cautious." Hermione offered up her suggestion.

Harry simply nodded took her hand and once the apparition vanished the barrier keeping them in vanished. They moved past the shocked crowd and had cleared the square before the outburst of disbelief and horror shook the very ground they stood on.

Hey guys! this is the AN fyi.

So yeah i love me some Sword Art Online. Since i really don't know all the story arc's. I don't feel comfortable reading or writing fan fiction for it only. So a crossover made more sense.

There will be plenty of stuff with Kirito and Asuna, and all the other main guys from the anime and light novels. Reviews are wanted and welcome fyi.

arigatou gozaimasu


	2. Raid Breifing

Aincrad: The Return

The Raid Briefing

First floor November 7th Dawn

Harry had during the hunt become a rather light sleeper. So when he heard someone up and moving he snapped wide awake. The large common quarters of the inn was well lit in the early morning sun. The first thing he noticed was Hermione's brown hair. He closed his eyes sure that he was just hearing something when he heard another rustle. He sat up make sure not to disturb the girl beside him.

"Did I wake you?" asked a voice he had first heard the night before.

Harry turned looking at the rather slim dark haired boy. "Don't worry about it." He said rubbing the back of his head. "I'm a light sleeper, I guess that is a transferable trait." he added humorously.

The boy gave him a o really look before smiling and bowing his head slightly. " I am going to head out see you around."

Harry simply nodded and the younger boy gave a half wave before turning away. Harry watched him leave before bringing up his menu. He equipped his gear and checked his skills before closing it. He bent over placing a kiss on Hermione's cheek. "Sleep well." He whispered before making his way out of the inn.

Harry surveyed the shops in town. Looking for anything on the cheap that they could use. He found a deal or two on health potions, but nothing for equipment. Hermione joined him half an hour later eager to continue their grind.

An hour or so later in a forest as gnarled and moody as the forbidden one at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione where engaged with a pair of sword wielding skeletons. Harry following some of the tips Kirito had given them the night before. Was in the lead letting the boney combatants use his shield for target practice. Their swords glanced harmlessly off his shield in a shower of sparks. The battle was entering its first full minute, he was just waiting for the right opening. He smiled as he spotted one. One of the skeletons brought his short sword above its skull preparing for a downward swing. While the other was in mid thrust. In a flash of speed he slammed the shield into the chest of the skeleton as it tried to bring it sword down on him. The thrusting skeleton hit nothing but air putting it of balance. "Switch" He yelled moving out of the way as Hermione's Pole-arm slammed into the stunned skeleton skull draining its the remaining hp. She turned to the remaining skeleton as the other shattered into hundreds of polygons. The other skeleton regained sure footing and turned to attack her. Hermione smiled as she swung the two handed weapon. The blunt weapon slammed into its side throwing its barely started attack way of course. She struck it once, twice, and a final third time before it too shattered.

Harry smiled at her. "Remind me to never piss you off." he teased.

She gave a hardy laugh "You mean again right?" she asked a smirk on her pretty face.

Harry shrugged his armor clunked lightly as he did so. "Fair enough." he pointed his head toward a freshly spawned pair of sword wielding skeletons.

And so it continued for most of the day. They explored the dense forest fighting variations of skeletons. It was dusk before they made it back to the Inn. A few new faces sat in the pub on the first floor most in groups. They had a cheap meal of potato soup and bread roll before retiring to the shared quarters.

* * *

Mid November 2022 Floor 1 Labyrinth

Harry was breathing hard as the gnoll slammed his two handed mace into his new kite shield. The pair had been fighting beast like this for the last three days. The labyrinth was the dungeon that eventually lead to the next floor. At the end of it was a boss, and the pair and many other players where searching for it. Considering that the first floor was nearly six square kilometers. The labyrinth itself was massive, and crawling with beast and monster alike.

Harry watched as his hp bar dipped into red for the second time today. He slammed his mace into the beast torso. It screamed something primal and took a swing for his head. It was what he wanted so he gave it a little smile. As the mace came down on him the swung his shield up bracing hard. Sparks showered them as the mace hit it squarely "Switch" He yelled and rolled out from under the mace. As the gnoll recovered from delivering the blow. Hermione entered the fray with her new halberd thrusting at the ugly beast. Harry slid back a bit before knocking back a health potion. He dropped the vial on the ground before it shattered to polygons. He watched as she struck the beast with a speed and aim that would have been impossible last week. She worked slowly diminishing its hp once it recovered a little from her first barrage she yelled "Switch" as its mace came down toward her. She rolled away as the massive weapon slammed into the ground where she had been. Harry activated a three hit combo as he reentered the battle. The gnoll was slow to recover from such a massive attack. His mace struck once, twice, but on the third swing he missed wide. He sighed in relief as the beast died in a explosion of light.

Harry sank to his knee's a moment later. The adrenaline of the fight had faded and bone weary fatigue had set in.

Hermione gave him a worried look as she came to stand beside him. "Are you okay?"

Harry look up at her before flashing her a bright smile. "Yeah, I will sleep like a baby tonight and be right as rain." he said standing.

"How about calling it a day then?" She asked hitting him squarely on the back hard enough to knock him momentarily of balance. She giggled at his chagrined expression as he righted himself.

"Sound like the best idea you've had all day." he replied in a teasing way. He offered her his hand and she took it. She squeezed his hand as they made their way out of the dungeon.

An hour or so later the pair sat down to eat at a small restaurant in town. They ordered the usual a soup of some kind, usual the special. Along with a roll, or a small loaf of bread which they usually shared. It wasn't Molly's cooking, but it tasted okay plus it was cheap. Col the money of the game was not easily earned, in large quantities at least. So the more they saved on expenses like lodging and food. They could funnel into better equipment and consumables. Considering the last year of their lives during the hunt. A bed and a bowl of soup was as good as gold.

Harry's tense body eased as he ate his first spoonful of warm lentil soup. Hermione smiled behind her cup of black tea at the contented sounds he made. She sat her cup down before dipping part of her roll into the soup bowl. She quickly ate the soggy bread infused with the flavor filled broth. They finished their meal before retiring to pub area of the Inn. They found a small table near the roaring fire and ordered a pot of tea.

Harry exhausted from his day took one sip of the hot green tea before falling asleep. Hermione sat beside him sipping her tea for a while. She turned to her inventory after a few minutes. She looked over the few interesting pieces of loot they had received that day. Most of it was useless junk, and she deleted those freely. She had a handful of dropped crafting resources mostly hides, and a few salvaged metals. Crafting was a part of the game, and she had often thought about picking one up. It was not something either of them could afford currently. So she just collected what she could and hopefully they could use it. Or perhaps make a good profit once players started up shops and needed goods. The items that dropped that they could use where equipped as soon as possible. If they couldn't, well vendors where the best place to dump unwanted gear. That would change she imagined once the games economy stabilized. She closed out the menu as she turned her attention back to the pub. She noticed a few people had come in while she was occupied. She only knew one of them. "Asuna!" she called softly gesturing for the girl to join her.

Asuna who was sitting alone stood and made her way to her. "Good evening _Hermione_." the girl replied as she sat down across from her. She gave the older girl an apologetic smile as she mangled her name.

Hermione laughed softly before shrugging her apology off. "How have you been?"

Asuna looked into the fire for a moment. "I'm still alive so that is something."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly. 'Stupid question I guess.' She sighed softly remembering not for the first time. That these people had just two weeks ago. Been safe and sound in their homes with their friends, family or loved ones. The fact that they still had the nerve to venture out into the world. amazed and impressed her to no end. Those who fought with such courage showed showed true Gryffindor spirit.

She offered Asuna a cup of tea. She accepted and Hermione quickly poured the girl a cup.

"Listen. I know we hardly know each other. However if you ever need anyone to talk to, I am only a quick message away."

Asuna looked her in the eye for a moment before nodding. "I will think about. Okay?"

Hermione gave her a genuine smile before nodding in the affirmative.

* * *

December 8th 2022 Floor One - Town of Beginnings

Hermione gazed at Harry as he entered the restaurant in the Town of Beginnings. She took in all of him as he neared her. She had to admit the polished chain mail armor he wore. Made him far more dashing than any robe she had seen him wear. His new frail swung slightly with every step he took along with the light jingle of his armor.

"Admiring my stoic form again my dear?" he asked lowering his voice just a bit.

"Ah Damn, I've been caught." she replied flashing him a blindingly bright smile.

Harry offered her his hand with a slight bow. She took it and he took his turn admiring her. She was stunning. Her ring mail chest piece hugged her curves in the most complementary of ways. Her leather skirt stopped just above her knees exposing her bare legs until her mid-calf leather boots covered them. Stunning, sexy, and catching a glimpse of her poleaxe he added deadly.

She smirked and let him lead her to the amphitheater where they where meeting other high level players. They split up once they arrived. The meeting would not start for another fifteen minutes or so. So they mingled while they waited.

With about five minutes to go Harry spotted Kirito. Over the last month they had meet several times. Sometimes in the safety of an inn, other in the field or the labyrinth. Harry could tell by the way the younger man acted around others. He was terribly shy and withdrawn around groups of people. Harry could relate entering the magical world had been rough. The months Hermione had been petrified during second year. Had been the loneliness period in his life, hell even the Dursley's didn't completely ignore him. So in a way he felt connected, and a desire to befriend the lad.

Harry excused himself from the conversation he been part of. He strolled over and sat down beside him. "Hows it going Kirito?"

Kirito looked up to see who had spoken to him. A hint of a smile flashed across his face before he responded. "Well enough. I see you two have done well." he said as he looked down to where Hermione was chatting with Klein and Agil.

Harry nodded. "I don't think we would be here if it was not for your help."

Kirito shook his head. "I just gave you some tips, you did all the rest yourselves."

Harry sighed. "Well anyway come have dinner with us tonight. I can't imagine eating by yourself is that enjoyable."

Kirito looked away to cover his uncertainty.

Harry waited. 'Come on Kirito here is my hand, take it.'

The younger boy finally spoke. "Sounds good." his said slightly above a whisper.

Harry grinned "Cool." he stated pleased with the way things worked out.

They sat in silence as Hermione and Asuna joined them and a moment later the meeting started.

"_Okay, now that everyone is here let's get stared, people! Thank you for responding to my summons today. My name is Diabel. My job is... in my own mind I like to think I'm a 'knight'"_

A small uproar of laughter and chatter caused the man to stop his speech.

"_Do you wanna hear this or not?..." _he waited until the chatter had ended._ "That is what I thought. Today, our party discovered the boss room at the top of the tower. We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the town of beginnings that it is possible to beat the game. And that's the duty of everyone of us her now! Isn't that right, everybody?"_

Harry nodded in agreement as Hermione squeezed his hand. A moment passed before people started to whistle and clap in agreement.

"_Then without further delay, I'd like to get the boss-raid meeting started. First, I want you to team up into parties of six..."_

Harry quickly noticed the shocked expression on Kirito face as most of the people instantly paired up. Harry gave Hermione a look and in a flash Asuna and Kirito where in their party. "Guess we are have two guest for dinner to night dear." he teased. Hermione was going to respond but stopped when Diabel continued.

"_A conventional party has no chance against a floor boss. We'll need to form a raid group using multiple parties." _Diabel paused as everyone settled down after forming their parties._ "Okay, are you about done forming your parties? Then.."_

"_Hold up a second!"_

Harry looked toward the voice as a reddish haired man jumped down the rows of seats.

"_My name's Kibaou. There's something I wanna say before we take on the boss. Some of you here need to apologize to the 2,ooo who have died so far!"_

"_Kibaou, these people you're referring to...do you mean the ex-beta tester, perhaps?" _

"_Of course I do! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched up beginners,and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so they were the only ones getting stronger. And since then, they've just ignored the rest of us. There's got to be some of them here! Guys who were beta testers! We should make them get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they've hoarded. As party members, we can't trust them with our lives, and they can't trust us." _

Harry could tell that Kirito was distressed by the mans speech. He leaned in whispered in the boy's ear. "It's not your fault. Trust me Kirito there are things in life you have absolutely no control over. You can't save everyone, some people don't even wanna be saved. All we can do in the end is try our best and hope they can do the rest."

Kirito simply nodded before turning back to the meeting. Harry half listened as Agil shut down the whining jerk. He looked at the young swordsman beside him hoping that he had not misread the situation. He shook his head to clear out the cobwebs and turned his full attention back to the meeting.

"_All right. Okay, can we resume the meeting now? As for information on the boss... Actually, the latest edition of that guidebook was just issued. According to it, the boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he has an entourage known as the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. The boss is armed with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one is in the red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a talwar. His attack pattern changes too. That concludes the briefing. Lastly, regarding item distribution, money will be automatically divided equally. Experience goes to the party that defeats the monster. And whoever receives an item keeps it. Any objections?... Okay, we leave tomorrow, at ten in the morning. Meeting adjourned._

**Authors note:**

**Yeah so I didn't mention it before. Anything in italic is taken from the light novels or the anime.**

AllWasWell07 Thank you for your review and I'm glad your excited. (I'm excited too)

Paladin3030 Your may be right. However I feel its more an alternative universe if they survive Aincrad I don't see why I wouldn't make it a crossover fiction piece.

The next chapter... Our four heroes sit down to dinner, followed by a boss-raid to die for mu ha ha, na prolly not but I'll give it a go.


	3. Illfang the Kobold Lord

Aincrad the Return

Chapter Three

December 9th 2022 – 1st Floor Town of Beginnings

An hour after the meeting the four players where seated together at one of the pricier restaurants. They placed their orders and where served tea by the npc servers.

Asuna sipped her warm tea slowly enjoying its warmth in her hand. It did nothing for her frayed nerves, however the company she kept did. Kirito was if the rumors where to be believed one the games best swordsman. She had never seen him in action. However she noticed the way he carried himself, very confidently. The rumors about other two she believed without a doubt. They were rumored to be the best two player team in the game. She had doubted it at first but just yesterday she'd come across them in the labyrinth. On her way out of the labyrinth after a day of killing solo able mobs. She followed her map careful to avoid advised danger areas provided by information brokers. She would have to pass one of the more dangerous areas if she wanted to make it back to town by nightfall. The monsters in that section spawned in packs of three several solo players had died there before word spread. After that info became common knowledge the area was farmed by groups all day long. So she felt comfortable that she could pass by without gaining any unwanted attention. As she neared the area the sound of combat eased put her nerves at ease. When she turned the corner the pair came into view she slowed then stopped. The pair was alone engaged with three rotting beast. Harry was in the lead blocking blow after blow with his shield. She thought it odd that he didn't attack only defended moving his shield with at lightning speed to intercept the next enemy attack. She watched awestruck as he pulled off a move that left all three rotting beast off balance. The next instance Hermione was in his place dishing out massive hits with her two handed weapon. Not ten seconds later the three beast where dead and Harry was engaging the next group. Just as she was about to turn away when it happened again. Her eyes widened slightly as he slammed his shield into one enemy, nailed the other with his frail, and dodged the attack of the last beast in under two seconds. He had timed the two attacks perfectly to use the momentum to clear the last attack. She shook her head in wonder before heading into town.

That night at the inn she overheard a group of players complaining about them. She learned that the pair had been fighting those beast for nearly a week. Last week the place was frequented by groups including the group she was easedropping on. As the week progressed and 'Harry the shield maiden' the group called him as a clear insult. Had learned the beast attack patterns well enough that the pair could clear a pack in under two minutes. The pair were able to clear packs and monopolize the re-spawns. Eventually other groups moved on looking for greener pastures. A lot of group players hated them for monopolizing that area.

Asuna looked up as Hermione spoke to her. "So do you enjoy using the rapier?"

"Oh yes. It's not much of a damage powerhouse as your poleaxe. It more than makes up for it in mobility." She replied gently caressing the hilt of her weapon under the table.

"I agree mobility is very important if your playing solo. Swinging a sluggish weapon can leave you open to all kind of attacks." Kirito added.

"Is that why you don't a shield?" Harry asked refilling his cup of tea.

Kirito nodded. " I'm able to keep my weight down which allows me to move around unencumbered. So even if I miss with a heavy attack I can recover a second or so quicker."

Hermione gave Harry a pointed look as she sat her tea down. " The first week in game, Harry here was engaging a rare level bear. We where still working out the kinks of group fight mechanics. So I was hanging back waiting for my chance. When he finally knocked the beast off balance instead of calling for me he activated a two hit heavy attack. Anyway that beast recovered far quicker than we thought possible and he missed both attacks."

Harry just sat across from her giving her a mock hateful glare. She smiled at him taking a sip from her tea prolonging her little tale.

"Poor fellow was staggered for about five seconds. If I had not been there I shutter to think what would have happened." she said winking at Harry.

Asuna and Kirito laughed at the rather interesting pair. A minute or so later a pair of waiters joined them at the table. Once everyone received their order they all dug in. They ate in silence for the most part, to enthralled by the best food they have had in game. They finished one by one until the four of them where relaxing in their chairs with contented looks on their faces. They stayed together for another round of tea before going their separate ways.

* * *

Around Noon – First Floor Bosses Room

Harry could make out the massive form of the boss as he entered its chamber. He and his party followed the twenty or so other players into the room. The boss roared as it jumped cutting its distance from them in half. The beast began to charge at them its entourage of minions spawning around the outskirts of the room. His party was responsible for destroying the bosses minions. They where to join the main group if the minions didn't re-spawn. Kirito and Asuna took one side of the room and Harry and Hermione took the other.

Three minutes into the battle the main force of minions had been wiped out. Before they could join the main group several more packs spawned. The little beast where easy to kill but their numbers could easily overwhelm them. He kept his eye on his parties hit points and the bosses when he could afford to look away. The raid progressed well until the boss changed weapons when its last bar of health hit twenty-five percent. Diabel charged forward by himself as the massive beast changed weapons. In a flash the boss equipped with a massive no-dachi preformed a three hit combo sending the young man flying. Harry in between killing kobolds watched as Kirito rushed to the mans side as the rest of the main raid group looked on leaving themselves open to attack. The boss turned to one of the players closes to him preparing to attack.

"Hermione can you handle them by yourself?" he questioned already moving to intercept the boss.

"Go!" She yelled as she brought the spiked end of her weapon down on a kobold which died instantly.

He moved his feet carrying him faster than he thought possible. The bosses eyes narrowed and flashed red as he caught it attention. Harry holstered his frail and grasped his shield with two hands as the massive no-dachi sword slammed into it. He felt the force of the hit in his bones as he was thrown back a meter or so. He had barely recovered when the next blow landed showering him in sparks and forcing him off balance. He didn't get a chance to block the last blow, the massive blade cut into his torso leaving a large orange gash. The attack itself depleted over half of his nearly full hit bar and sent him flying back over ten meters tumbling across the floor before he came to a stop.

Kirito and Asuna charged at the boss as Harry was knocked away. Kirito watched his parties hit points and felt a surge of relief as the other boys hp replenished quickly. A consumable no doubt, but he hadn't the time to consider which as he slammed his sword into the bosses deflecting his blow away harmlessly. He switched effortlessly with Asuna who dodge a massive attack just barely before delivering a powerful thrust attack. As the boss moved to attack her again Kirito move in front of her blocking attack after attack until one slipped through. The force of the attack sent him flying into Asuna sending the both sprawling on to the floor several meters back. The boss advance coming to tower over the two incapacitated players.

Harry rushed forward Hermione only a few steps behind him. As the boss brought down his massive weapon in what was sure to be a killing blow. Harry stepped over the prone pair bringing his shield up to defend them. The attack struck his shield squarely forcing him down on his knee. He steadied himself preparing for another attack that never came. Hermione and the rest of the raids arrival momentarily drove the beast away from them.

Kirito looked up at the tired face that gave him a weak smile. "We could use your help, when your ready." he said before rushing forward. Kirito watched the battle continue as he recuperated some health. His eyes widen and he shouted out a warning, as the beast spun his blade sending most of the raid to the ground before jumping high for a powerful plunging attack. Kirito ran before jumping and attacking the boss midair. His powerful attack sent the beast flying toward the ground away from the players thankfully. He landed with a roll and rushed toward the recovering boss. He called out to Asuna for help well aware that Harry and Hermione where incapacitated for the moment.

Asuna joined him as they rushed toward the boss together. As they neared the boss Kirito moved to deflect the bosses attack allowing Asuna to get in a four hit combo. He jumped in right after with a downward slash followed by an upward slash that ran the length of the beast torso. The powerful attack sent the beast backwards in the air before it shattered into thousand of polygons. For a few seconds Kirito could only hear his own heavy breathing and feel the rapid beating of his heart.

Harry laid on the ground where he had been thrown by the bosses last attack. His limbs felt like lead and he could swear his bones ached with every beat of his heart. Hermione came to stand over him looking just as worn out as he. She offered him her hand and he took it, after a mighty tug he was standing beside her. A large congratulations banner had appeared over the room sending many into fits of celebration.

"_Why? Why.. Why did you let Diabel Die?" _Kibaou shouted from his position on the ground.

"_Let him die?" _Kirito asked deeply confused.

"_Of course! You knew what technique the boss would use! If you'd given us that information up front, he wouldn't have died!" _Kibaou added causing dissenting rumbling among the other players.

"_He must be an ex-beta tester! That's how he knew all about the boss's attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us!" _another player shouted accusingly.

"Who said the game is the same as it was during the beta!" Harry shouted gaining every ones attention.

"Where you in the beta Kibaou?" he waited a beat. "No, I didn't bloody think so!" he added scathingly. "How could anyone know if it was different from what was in the guide until it was to damned late. If you want someone to blame you detestable bastard blame Kayaba."

There where murmurs of agreement, and Kibaou seemed to lose what little steam he had left. Harry relaxed slightly as the manufactured outrage died out. He had seen his share of fair weather friends at Hogwarts. Always looking for someone to blame for their troubles, Kirito didn't deserve that.

Shame overwhelmed him as he thought about Diabel. In the month since the death game had started he had only thought of himself. Diabel had been selfless working to insure as many players survived the game. When Kibaou blamed him for the mans death it was like a slap in the face. He had been a beta tester and yes he had an idea of the bosses abilities. 'this is bad' he thought as the other player piled more accusations against him. He was about to do something that would alienate him from the rest of the players. But he stopped when Harry defended him. It reminded him of the boys words the day before. The words had eased his nerves even if he'd been wrong about why he was distressed. He was thankful for his help but what to do now. He stood accepting the item he received for delivering the last hit. He equipped the black duster before turning to face the crowd. Kibaou was glaring daggers at him but he was the only one. He felt a great sense of relief wash over him as he joined his party members on the way to the second floor.

**AN: **Okay so the light novels which I'm currently in the middle of reading. Starts on the first day of the game or the first anime episode. The next chapter jumps two years in the future to episode 8 in the anime. Don't worry I will not be skipping two full years but the next few months of the game are gonna go by in a blur. I'm gonna try and make the rest of the chapters 4-5 thousand words long. Honestly could have released chap 2 and 3 as one. But i spent like 7 hours writing it and wanted to get it out to you guess as soon as i could.

This chapter was enjoyable to write I hope you like it. Peace.


	4. Regal Griffins

Aincrad the Return

Regal Griffins

August 5th 2023 27th Floor Town of Gitosan

Harry walked in to the public workshop in the modest sized city of Gitosan. He spotted his wife's wild brunette hair before taking the handful of steps to stand beside her.

"I"m just waiting for the last few dishes." She stated not looking up from the games version of an oven.

Harry nodded to himself placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'll just practice my craft while we wait." he patted her back before moving over to a metal works station. He messed about with his inventory until a piece of ultra dense ore materialized. He caught it before placing it on the barren workbench. It was a rather rare ore, a wolfram alloy that was extremely dense perfect for what he wanted to make. His weapon smith skill was well above the required level to produce a morning star. However the ore also had its own skill level required, one that he had reached just the other day. He knew there where high level smiths that did work for the players on the frontier. However he had picked up the skill to unwind after a long day of adventuring. So instead of trusting the ore to a unknown he spent thousands of col over the last month to build up the skill. He breathed in calming himself as he imagined what he wanted his new weapon to look like. The handle and the haft of the weapon where ordinary in every way. The sphere of rough looking metal that was set on the haft, had wickedly sharp spikes protruding from it. He kept the image in his head as he hammered the ore with his trusted mallet. After a handful of strikes the ore shimmered before changing into the imagined weapon. He grasped the handle in his hand marveling at how heavy the weapon felt. He was pleased that with his strength stat using the weapon would not be an issue. 'I better not miss with this thing.' he thought with some amusement. His shield skill was very high these days, so he had eventually shifted from pure defense to a balanced play style. Still to swing and miss with such a heavy weapon would leave him staggered for a few seconds. It was a risk worth taking in his opinion, after all a crushing blow with a heavy mace weapon could simply wreck most foes. He admired it for a moment longer getting a feeling for its weight before he put it away in his inventory.

"I'm ready when you are." Hermione whispered in his ear causing him to jump slightly. She laughed at his reaction drawing the attention of a few others in the open space. She waved at the startled people before dragging Harry out of the building heading toward the teleport gate. Once they reached the obsidian structure they called out to it and they where gone in a blink of the eye. The pair arrived at the first floor teleport gate just a few short seconds later. The massive first floor was home to thousands of players. It was also home to the Aincrad Liberation Army, a player guild which looked after those to afraid to leave the lower floors. That hadn't been their only goal, but after losing so many promising member during the 25th floor boss battle. It had become their sole focus until the game was cleared. It was the Army in fact that brought them here. So they made their way thru the city to the Armies headquarters in the player housing district. After a word with the guards at the door they where lead to the quartermasters warehouse.

"Ah if it isn't the Regal Griffins here on time as usual." Called out a rather portly man that reminded Harry of a slightly smaller Vernon. Unlike his uncle this man was jovial and more than pleased to see them both.

"Nice to see you as well Quartermaster sir." Harry replied with a playful salute at the end.

The rotund man threw his head back releasing a mighty laugh. "Very funny oh mighty shield maiden."

Hermione who had simply observed the two giggled at Harry's rather unfortunate nickname. Harry ignored his in game wife easily. Justinian just smirked at them before gesturing toward an empty shelf. The pair nodded before getting to work unloading several boxes of goods onto the shelf. Inside the boxes where crafted items made by them both. Most of the items where food goods produced by Hermione that very day. Sunday had become the pairs day of rest, at least from the frontier of the game. Saturdays they farmed and bought the goods need for the next day. The rest of the week they where found on the frontier mapping out the labyrinths and advancing their skills and levels. The other boxes contained weapons created by Harry with cheap low grade ores. The weapons where some of the better quality to be found on the lower level. As most of the smith slowly followed the frontier players as they climbed the hundred floor castle. Non player shops still sold weapons, but they where the same you bought on the first day of the game.

Justinian made meaningless noises as he examined the goods. He nodded to himself before pulling out a sack of jingling coin from his inventory. He passed it to Harry who simply placed it in his and Hermione's shared inventory. It was a lot less than what they would have received if they had sold them to players or non player shops. Money really wasn't something they worried about as their weekly work more than covered repairs and living cost. So if they could make the lives of the people down here a little better it was worth the lost profit.

"Nice doing business with you Justinian, see you next week." He said taking Hermione's hand as they slowly made their way back to the teleport gate. After a short walk with no distractions they teleported to the 24th floor.

They had taken part in the clearing of the floors boss. It had taken the assault team and other high level players just four days to clear the floor. It had a very small easily mapped labyrinth. The rest of the floor was mostly left for the intermediate players to clear. On one of the last days here. They had stumbled onto a unowned guild property called Motsuna castle. It was a fraction the size of Hogwarts, but the stone structure called out to the pair. Forming a guild had been a long term plan of theirs after they had learned of them. Finding the property only speed up the process. So they formed the Regal Griffins and purchased the property with most of their stockpiled col. They paid just over one million col for the twelve room castle and the small plot of land it sat on, all of it surrounded by a wooden palisade.

After a short walk from the main city they arrived at their home. After forming their guild in early June. they had offered many of the frontier fighters a place in it. They had both been surprised when Kirito had accepted the offer and joined them at Motsuna. The same offer was sent to Asuna but she had already joined The Knights of the Blood. The KOB had formed in mid April and since had surpassed the Regal Griffins and many other guilds as one of the most powerful in the game. The three of them saw her a few times a month mostly at briefings before boss raids. She had become a very good leader in that time and her skills with the rapier where becoming legendary.

Kirito still preferred to solo on the frontier which suited Harry just fine. The Regal Griffins had a single focus, and that was to clear the game. The twenty or so members of the guild did their own thing until the day before a boss raid. On that day one or two groups where picked to assist in the clearing of the floor. After the groups where picked everyone not chosen could go back to what they where doing. However most spent the next two nights at Motsuna castle. When the victorious parties returned a party was thrown til the wee hours of the morning. After a shared lunch the remaining guild mates would scatter away to do their own thing until the next time.

They did have one are two full time residents at the castle excluding themselves. Kirito used the castle as his base of operation since it saved him from renting a room. Jintaku was another he was a dozen or so levels lower than the rest of the guild. His job was to patrol the palisade and offer help to any players in trouble. The floor was mostly safe, but there where a few dungeons frequented by intermediate players. It wasn't uncommon for them to use up all their healing consumables and get attacked by the wondering mobs on the way back to town. Harry thought it only fair that since their castle sat between the most popular dungeon and the city, that they offer aide to the passing players. After a month or so of that duty he would be power leveled by the guilds founders, and they would help prepare him for the frontier.

An hour or so later the exhausted pair was asleep in their shared bed in the master suite of the castle.

* * *

August 9th Floor 39

Harry stood surrounded by members of the Regal Griffins at the entrance of the bosses chamber on the 39th floor. He had been chosen by Asuna the raid leader, to be the main tank and lead the rest of the shield users in the lead group. A minute or more pasted before Asuna gave him the signal and he turned and opened the chamber door.

Once the massive doors opened and he took a few steps into the chamber followed by the rest of the raid. He could just make out a large creature on the other side of the chamber. The info on the boss had been scarce only a name and a weapon. The name of the towering lizard beast was Higan the Lizard Lord and his chosen weapon was a twin-blade. A staff weapon with a blade on the ends use to cut foes into ribbons.

As he neared the center of the room the boss was on him in a flash. Harry quickly blocked the blows with his tower shield as the rest of the raid took up positions around the beast attacking when they had the chance. Harry made sure to swing his new morning star often to keep the beast on him. The bosses health dropped slowly, but Harry lost health far quicker. A block only stops so much damage and even with his battle regeneration ability he was slowly nearing the red line.

"Switch!" he yelled and his back up jumped into take his place. He withdrew drinking a restoration potion in a single gulp. He had to admit this boss one of the easier ones they had fought recently. He had been able to keep the beasts attention for over ten minutes. His health bar recovered from red to yellow as the bosses health hit fifty percent.

Harry watched momentarily shocked as the beast used a new attack for the first time. An area of attack skill that spun his massive twin-blade a full 360 degrees. He heard rather than saw the shattering of a handful of players who where killed instantly by the attack including the tank. Harry recovered quickly re-entering the fray by getting the bosses attention.

"Don't just stand there hit and run!" Asuna yelled out once she recovered. "Harry make sure to switch out when you health reaches seventy-five percent or so."

"Yes Ma'am!" He called back blocking the bosses six hit combo skill. "Yoshikan, Switch!"

Yoshikan a member of his guild and a good shields woman in her own right took his place as he withdrew again. His health no quite fully recovered. While his health recovered he took a second to find Hermione. She was fine to his relief she would move in unleash a combo before rolling away only to repeat the attack a moment or so later. He turned his attention back to his back up and watched as she blocked every blow for over a minute. Her health dwindled below seventy percent or so when she called to be replaced. Harry jumped in his health around nearly full when he took over. He blocked for a moment before he noticed a tell he missed the first time.

"Pull back!" He shouted as he noticed he wouldn't have a chance to do so. He watched as the blades slammed into him cutting his hp in half in a single hit. Thankfully he didn't hear a single explosion, but he was in the red again. Harry pulled out a healing crystal as the boss recovered from the attack it's health just under thirty percent. "Heal." he said softly watching as his health bar filled up in a instant. He was more than ready to block the beast next attack or two before the rest of the raid rejoined the fray as the battle raged on.

Harry was so busy looking for the tell that the failed to notice his health slip into the yellow. The bosses health dropped to five percent when he saw the tell again. "NOW!" He roar as he rolled away. He swore internally as he noted his health bar. 'well shit' he thought as the blade caught him mid roll. The glancing blow was enough put him in the red with under ten percent health. He landed on his back breathing heavily his heart racing. He tried to move but he was overcome with exhaustion so he just laid there for a minute. There was a massive shattering explosion and the congratulations banner filled him with relief.

Hermione rushed to his side the second the bosses health bar disappeared. With the danger over she handed him a potion instead of using a crystal. He gave her a thankful look as he drank the potion letting the vial fall to the floor as he sat up.

"How many died?" he asked removing his helm.

"Seven players." She said softly.

Harry stood with Hermione's help before turning to look on the rest of the raid. They where as dejected as he was at the lose of so many players. It wasn't uncommon for badly hurt players to use teleport crystals to retreat from the battle. While he had the bosses attention its blades still did a small amount of damage to the other players. Harry who was one of the highest level players in the raid had lost nearly half his health to a blow he was prepared for. So the players surprised by the attack with low heath didn't stand a chance. He let Hermione lead him up the stairs onto the 40th floor where they stayed close to the teleport gate.

"Thank you Harry, if you had not picked up on the tell I don't know how many more we would have lost." Asuna said as she came to stand before them. "How did you know?"

Harry had expected the question. "The attack starts out like all of his others. However instead of following thru with an attack there is a pause and a downward turn of the blade, followed by the cleave attack."

"Is that a skill or are you just that good at recognizing attack patterns?" she asked not really expecting an answer.

Harry thought for a second before shrugging. "It's not on my skill list, but after half a year I've gotten rather good at reading attacks."

Asuna guessed as much so she gave the two of them a smile before turning back toward her guild.

"Why don't you join us for dinner one night Asuna?" Hermione asked taking the other girls hand before she could step away.

Asuna nodded and gave a little wave before re-joining her guild mates.

* * *

August 12th Motsuna Castle 24th Floor

Harry sipped his coffee as he read the games version of a newspaper. It was printed by players with information given to them by info brokers, the stuff they really couldn't sell. Some people even wrote articles but those where a rare treat.

"um Hello?" questioned a female voice.

Harry looked up from his paper and noticed a younger girl he had meet once a few months ago. She hadn't noticed him yet so he called out to her. "Over her Sachi!"

She jumped a little but smiled as she neared him. "Hello sir."

Harry smiled at the formal way she addressed him. "Call me Harry, Sachi. You know the Moonlit Black Cats are always welcome here."

She bowed slightly. "I was hoping to visit with Kirito. Is he here?"

"Not currently. He was nice enough to escort my wife on a deliver. They shouldn't be to much longer, so feel free to stick around." He answered her taking a sip of his coffee.

Sachi nodded.

"Oh forgive me. Would you like something to drink or eat?" Harry asked remembering his manners.

"No thank you." she responded.

Harry gave her a brief smile before turning back to the paper. It was silent just long enough for Harry to forget he had a guest when she spoke again.

"Is it true your the best shields man in the game?" she asked nervously.

Harry set the paper back down before answering. "One of the best I imagine. I hear the Knights of the Blood Commander has a unique skill. I don't even know the name of it but Asuna has seen it in action. Why?"

"My guild wants me to be a defensive player so we can be a more balanced party. I was hoping to talk to Kirito about it, but perhaps you would be better suited to help me." She replied shyly.

Harry looked at her for a moment before nodding. "What are your stats, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mostly agility then strength. Is that bad?" She asked worriedly

Harry smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. A fast weapon and a light shield and mobility and you'll make a fine defensive player." He stood pushing his chair back under the table. "Follow me and I'll have you kitted out."

She followed him out into the grounds and the newly added weapons forge. Harry opened up his inventory materializing a small block of white ore. "Have you ever heard of mithril Sachi?"

"Yes of course." Sachi replied.

Harry smiled as he hammered the ore with his mallet. "A scimitar is a curved sword is light and a very good slashing weapon. Using mithril will make it lighter still allowing you more mobility. Your best choice would be to dodge away and use the shield for when you can't." A slim polished scimitar materialized after he hit the ore one last time. He picked it up marveled at how light it felt in his hand. He turned to Sachi and presented it to her.

She took the offered weapon a little shell shocked. "It's amazing, but I can't accept it. That ore must have cost a fortune." she said offering the weapon back to him.

"Nonsense." Harry replied gesturing for her to take the weapon. "Now I do have a light shield in my inventory. If you want to go practice I'll accompany you to the local dungeon."

Sachi nodded happily. "That sounds good to me."

Harry opened a trade window and placed a rare light shield and two healing potions into it. Sachi accepted the trade after he gave her a stern look when she started to protest.

"Equip them and meet me at the entrance, I'll only be a few minutes i need to leave a note for my wife." he stated before returning to the castle.

Sachi equipped the items and walked to the castles entrance. She was confused why he simply didn't send her a message when it struck her. 'a hand written letter, how sweet'.

Half an hour later the two of them where engaged in the dungeon. Harry watched as Sachi took on the monster by herself. Her curved sword skill was low, but the quality of her sword made all the difference. Harry watched as she dodged away from an attack, he took advantage and jumped in. He swung his heavy mace depleting its health points in one hit.

Harry turned to her and gave her an I'm sorry look. "You looked a little nervous there. Are your sure you want to become a defensive player?"

She was silent for a moment. "I don't want to let my friends down."

Harry nodded understanding. "Why don't you come back next week with your guild. I don't know what your groups dynamics are so I don't know where you'll need help."

Sachi nodded and after a few minutes they where out of the dungeon. Harry walked her to the transport gate in town before returning to Motsuna castle.

* * *

August 15th 2023 Labyrinth 40th Floor

Harry was blocking an attack when he heard Hermione call out "Teleport Nomaniku." her health bar had been red for the last two minutes. So he felt a surge of relief when she teleported out of danger even if the beast that had been attacking her turned to him. He felt like such a fool, to recommend they continue adventuring after they had used up their health consumables. Hermione had wanted to call it a day, but he wouldn't let it go so she relented. They had been mapping unknown areas when they walked into a pack of lizard men. Packs in the past hadn't bothered them, but these oddly enough where social. If one pack engaged someone the ones closest to that pack would attack as well. So there they where with out healing items pulling aggro on twelve lizard men. His battle regeneration was the only thing stopping him from fleeing. He blocked several hits in a row before swinging his morning star killing one of the beast. He swore internally when one of the foul beast flanked him. It struck him once in the back dropping his hp into the red. He grasped for the blue crystal in his pocket. He grasped it in his hand and shouted "Teleport Nomaniku."

He arrived on the 24th floor a moment later. He almost wished for a second he was still facing the lizard men when Hermione shouted at him. She looked absolutely pissed. "If I ever have to do that again, and your not a second behind me, I'll kill you myself."

Harry threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry, I promise it will never happen again."

She crushed him in a hug as a tear slipped past her defenses. "Do you know what it feels like to watch your everything's health drop when there is nothing you can do about it.?"

Harry held her feeling truly sorry for not following her lead. "We've been through worse, and yet I know your right. I promise that I will always follow you if your forced to retreat, except for boss raids."

She released him once she regained her composure. "Speaking of boss raids, Asuna wrote there is a meeting this Saturday to discuss the next raid."

Harry took her hand laced their fingers together. "Lets head home and eat, then I'll worry about that."

Hermione rolled her eyes but let him lead her toward their castle headquarters. They had a meal in the dinning room joined by Jintaku and an exhausted Kirito whom they hadn't seen in a few days. Later that night in their room. She held him while he slept running her hand thru his raven hair. She doubted she would sleep any tonight, but she had to try. After all what good was she too anyone if she was exhausted.

**AN:** So for the time being the moonlit black cats are still alive an kicking. I found that scene in the anime and the light novel very sad. That event fills him with such self hatred and doubt I was pleased to simply not let it happen.

I admit that knowing Hiragana and romaji makes coming up with slightly believable Japanese names and places pretty easy.

I'm loving writing this tale. I sat down after dinner last night and wrote this baby in one go. It's around 430am and I've given it a look over for any extremely bad issues. After putting in all that work I thought I'd publish it before I hit the sack.

Hope you like it, and if you don't mind leave a review, feedback is welcome as always.


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